Charlie Sheen On Anger Management

Charlie Sheen Is Not A Frigging Robot

The show got some mixed reviews. Do you care about what the critics say? Why do you think the audience turned out so massively to watch the first episode?

Charlie Sheen On Anger Management: Well, to speak to the critic aspect of it, I don’t read anything, so I don’t know what they said, because if I believed the bad ones, I’ve got to believe the good ones. It’s not rooted in anything that I worship anymore, so I was told there were some unfavourable ones. But the ratings, when they spoke the loudest, that’s the critic that I pay attention to. Those are the fans. I just had a lot of confidence in what we were giving them, that it wasn’t all hype, that it was very smart and a well-crafted show. It’s one thing to get a bunch of eyes on it; it’s another thing to keep them there, and I think we will be able to do that. What do you mean they wrote bad reviews? [Laughs] That’s all right -- a lot of it is not about the show itself. I think people have -- certain reviewers or critics have -- an ax to grind with me personally, so whatever I’m in is going to suck, and that’s OK.

Are you OK with that?

CSOAM: Well, my kids don’t love me less, so it doesn’t really matter. I think it’s also important to note that the show went up in its second half hour, in its ratings, which is a really good sign for us, because people didn’t just tune in and say, “Ah, we just checked it out.” They tuned in and said, “OK, let’s keep watching.” And they told their friends to do so, so we were really excited about it, you know?

You are playing a therapist. What was the inspiration for that character? Have you ever had to seek therapy? What do you think of it?

CSOAM: I support therapy, yeah. It’s not a one-size-fits-all, but I spent time in psychotherapy as well as anger management, so I had a lot of research. I didn’t know at the time that I was doing research for this show, obviously, but it was nice to be on the other side, nice to be in the chair, not on the couch. I think therapy is good for someone who is willing to change or wants to hear a different opinion and a different point of view about their situation, and, generally speaking, it’s a neutral place to explore some issues.

You’ve kind of worked out your anger issues. What comes after anger? Sweet revenge or peace of mind?

CSOAM: Well, I would support that peace of mind does come after anger, What do they say about enlightenment? “What do you do prior to enlightenment? You chop wood and carry water. And then what do you do after enlightenment? You chop wood and carry water.” It’s all about being consistent. So, again, we are talking about a television show, and there are themes that are captured that are portrayed that I think are real-life themes, but if we just did it as though it were therapy, it would be really boring and nobody would tune in. But I was able to model some of my physical behaviour after a guy that I spent 10 years with, whose name I will not mention. But, yeah, so there was some benefit there and it’s an homage to him, really, because he taught me a lot of important things, and a lot of stuff I still use to this day.

Is the show a little bit like sweet revenge? Having the last laugh?

CSOAM: Oh, hell yeah. [Laughs] Yes, it is, but that’s just the springboard part of it. I’m not going to carry that through; it was just a nice one day of absolute and total victory. And that I was really proud of.

I understand that you are picked up for 90 episodes. How do you feel about that commitment?

CSOAM: Yes, it’s pretty daunting. But it’s exciting, though. It’s exciting. We wouldn’t have signed up for it if we didn’t think we could do it, in theory. That’s one thing. It’s another thing to actually then say, "All right. Here we go." And we’ve started, because we are doing two shows a week, which is pretty difficult. It’s hard but not impossible, but what it affords us is that it generates a sense of not having to overthink anything, because there’s no time. I think that’s why the characters seem very fresh in the show... There’s an energy there that you can’t quite put your finger on, and I think that’s because we didn’t have time to overthink it, we really didn’t have time to plan it. I’m amazed the damn thing is in focus, and it was pretty much the seat of our pants, but again, that makes it more exciting. It’s either you show up and bring your A-game or go home crying.

Anger management is good and therapy is good, but don’t you think that getting mad sometimes is healthy?

CSOAM: Absolutely, it is. Absolutely, it is. I totally support that, yeah.

I read somewhere that this is your last show on TV and you are done after this and you are going to retire. Is that true?

CSOAM: That’s pretty much it. As I sit here today, talking about doing those 90 shows -- if someone isn’t done after that, then they have got to be a frigging robot. No, there’s a lot of stuff I want to do, just things that I want to explore that don’t involve show business. I’m going to become a television critic [laughs]. Can you imagine? This guy sucks and I’ll tell you why. But I would even consider becoming a baseball scout. Traveling around the heartland looking for the next world-beating phenom. I mean, things that are like fantasies to me, but could become realities. There’s a lot of life to live out there... I’m not saying I’m not grateful. I mean, I have a frigging dream life as a direct result of television and film, and people that believe in me and my fans and critics, but, yeah, there’s things that I want to do that don’t involve doing it publicly. Or trying to prove something publicly.